Upholstery tool



Dec. 29, 1970 R 3,551,016

UPHOLSTERY TOOL Filed Jan. 28, 1969 INVENT OR ATTORNEY United v States Patent 3,551,016 UPHOLSTERY TOOL Tom A. Hooper, 429 Shores Drive, Virginia Beach, Va. 23451 Filed Jan. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 794,683

Int. Cl. B65g 7/12 US. Cl. 294-25 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An upholstery hand tool for working upholstery fabrics having a triangular configuration on one end and an arcuate configuration on the other substantially smaller than the triangular end being gradually curved over its entire length.

My invention relates to a hand tool for use in locating, positioning, and tucking the ends and loose portions of upholstery material into place for final forming of said material about the frame configuration of sofas, chairs, divans, and like furniture.

An object of this invention is to provide a hand device adapted to position and tuck upholstery material into the corners, crevices and frame configurations of stuffed and upholstered furniture.

Another object of this invention is to provide in the same hand device, or tool, a small arcuate working end integral with a substantially larger triangular shaped working end, said large triangular shaped working end adapted for fast tucking of the major portions of the upholstery fabric about the frame form of said furniture, and the small arcuate end adapted for tucking the upholstery fabric about the furniture frame within the relative inaccessible crevices and cracks of said furniture.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a single hand tool for tucking upholstery fabric about a furniture frame for final stitching and formation, said hand tool having at least two integral rotatable working edge elements on a single tool to provide a small arcuate working edge in relative comparison to a larger working edge, so that the large working edge will perform the major tucking operation upon the upholstery fabric, and the small working edge will complete the tucking on the fabric which is difiicult to tuck or position about the furniture frame.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an upholstery tucking tool of single construction, no mechanical moving parts, inexpensive to manufacture, light in weight, durable, convenient to use, and quick and effective in operation.

For other objects and an understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional upholstered sofa having a back 19, seat 21, and arms 24 and the upholstery tucking tool embodying the features of this invention being used to tuck and position upholstery fabric in final place about the configuration of said sofa, the fabric being tucked into the crevice between the back and the seat of said sofa.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of said invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational vie-w.

3,551,016 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the large triangular working end of said device.

FIG. 5 is an elevational end view of the small arcuate working end of said device.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5, 10 represents the upholstery tucking hand tool with the integrally formed working ends 12 and 20. The hand tool is formed from any substantially rigid material which can be worked into the shape of the hand tool, by extrusion, pressing, or rolling of metal or plastic known to those skilled in the trade. Main body 10 is made of one continuous metal rod or bar used to form the tool as at 23, to the larger working end 12 which is formed into a substantially triangularshaped working end 12 having an apex 25 and end 12 forming the base of the triangle. Working end 12 has a substantially straight-edged side of the triangle, the ends of the straight edged side being closed and formed into arcuate ends 14 which are integrally joined by the other two sides 16 of the triangular shaped end 12, these sides being demonstrated as inwardly curved sides 16, each being curved inwardly, said curvature gradually decreasing as shown by the curved portion18, said inwardly curved sides 16 being integrally joined to the working end 20 by weld 22.

FIG. 3 demonstrates the integrated hand tool 10 as curved from the small arcuate working end 20 throughout the entire length of the hand tool in a continuous one direction curve from 20 to the larger triangular shaped working end 12. It is to be noted that the triangular shaped working end 12 is so formed that it defines a triangular shaped end defining an open triangular shaped area 13, and the smaller arcuate working end 20 is so formed that it defines an open arcuate shaped area 15. Ofcourse it is obvious that being so formed the defined openings 13 and 15 permit material being worked to enter these defined openings for ease of working. Furthermore, it provides a hand tool which is light and easily manufactured from brass, steel, aluminum, and plastic, rod and the like, and which is easily integrated or joined by a simple weld as at 22 joining the two ends of the continuous rod together as shown at 23.

Straight-sided working edge 12 is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis bisecting the small arcuate workings and 20 and the apex 25 of the triangular working end 12 through the center of weld 22. Large triangular working end 12 is substantially larger than the arcurate working end 20 by an area of approximately five to one. In FIG. 3 the gradual curvature of hand tool 10 commences at the extreme end of arcuate working end 20 and gradually curves to weld 22 upwardly, and then downwardly to working edge 12 forming a concave surface on the upper area of hand tool 10, and of course a convex surface on the lower side of hand tool 10. This curvature facilitates manipulation of hand tool 10 within the crevices and cracks of an upholstery frame being worked with upholstery fabric. This curvature as demonstrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 is one of the features of this invention.

To use hand tool 10, the tool may be grasped by hand by arcuate end 20 or by rotating it to grasp the larger working end 12, depending upon the type and manner of work desired to be done at the time. In its use it is employed as shown in FIG. 1 by grasping the arcuate end 20, and inserting the large faster working triangular end 12 to position upholstery fabric between back 19 and seat 21 of the divan shown in FIG. 1.

In crevices and cracks which are harder to reach, hand tool 10 may be rotated and grasped by larger working end 12 and the smaller arcuate end 20 may be used to manipulate fabric in positioning the same about and within a furniture frame.

What is claimed is:

1. An upholstery hand working tool for use in positioning upholstery fabric on a furniture frame, comprising an endless rod formed into a triangular configuration and a radius at each corner of said triangular configuration having a short straight side and two relatively long inwardly curved sides the radius of the corner, at the intersection of the curved sides being larger than the 15 8/1915 Walker 813.46 9/ 1924 Dunlap 81-3.46

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner 10 D. D. WATTS, Assistant Examiner 

